The highly-productive Darlington youth team are preparing for what they hope will be another successful season, but they are in desperate need of a sponsor.

Craig Liddle’s under-18s team last year reached the final of the Youth Alliance League Cup Final and also progressed to the third round of the FA Youth Cup before losing to Arsenal.

The head of youth’s main objective, however, is to produce talented youngsters and a steady stream of talent has progressed into the club’s senior ranks in recent years, the most notable being Dan Burn.

The defender joined Fulham for £325,000 this summer, just 18 months after making his Darlington debut, while striker Curtis Main, Quakers’ youngest ever player and goalscorer, has joined Middlesbrough. Others to have made the grade include Phil Gray, John McReady and Michael Smith who are all part of manager Mark Cooper’s first-team squad this season.

But without a sponsor Liddle’s plans are on hold as the Darlington Supporters Trust will not be backing the team, leaving Liddle to look elsewhere for support.

Relegation from the Football League in 2010 cost the club’s youth section £100,000 per year, a loss that Darlington were able to counter last season by fundraising and sponsorship.

Liddle said: “Money is at a premium at our level and we’re desperate for sponsorship.

“We had a sponsor for the last couple of years and now we’re looking for somebody to help us out and hopefully they can help us bring through the next Dan Burn.

“We’re not looking for mega money, but anything a local company could offer us would be a great help.

“I hope they would feel some pride at being our sponsors, knowing that they are doing their bit to help local lads come through the ranks.

“We’ve had a few make the grade over the last few years and we’ve had a few good results on the pitch too, but it is going to be more difficult without a sponsor.”